A few thoughts of the Fujifilm XF10-24mm f/4 R OIS

A few thoughts of the Fujifilm XF10-24mm f/4 R OIS
Fujifilm XF10-24mm f/4 R OIS

Fujifilm XF10-24mm f/4 R OIS

 

Last week my friends at Fujifilm Malaysia loaned me two of their latest and greatest lenses to play with and asked me if I would share my thoughts. I have been waiting for these two new lenses probably more than any of the other lenses in their entire lineup. The two lenses are the XF10-24mm f/4 R OIS and the XF56mm f/1.2 R. On a cropped sensor, such as the two cameras I am shooting with – the Fujifilm X-E2 and the X-T1 – they represent a full frame focal length equivalent of 15-36 mm and 85 mm respectively. I recently bought the X-T1, but I do not plan to review the X-T1 as it may be one of the most reviewed cameras on the planet, to date. It definitely is the most reviewed Fujifilm camera till now.

In this post I want to give my thoughts on the XF10-24mm f/4 R OIS. Later in the week we will look at the XF56mm f/1.2 R. This lens is sold in the USA for around $1,000, but costs a bit more here in Malaysia (I have been quoted RM 4,300 or US $1,300). The build is just like all the other Fujinon lenses; it’s metal and built like a tank. Being a zoom lens it doesn’t have the aperture markings on the lens barrel like the primes lenses do. I really wish Fuji would figure out a way to do this. I find myself looking at the lens barrel often to know what aperture I am at, only to see just a blank metal band. It’s a small thing but it would be a nice add. Unlike the new prime lenses from Fujinon, it doesn’t support the push/pull clutch to change it from autofocus to manual. This would also be nice, but I am assuming there is some reason for not having it and thus, they did not add this feature to the lens as well. Outside of that this lens feels heavy, but not noticeably. It is large for a XF series lens. To give you an idea of size, it has a ø72mm filter. It weighs 14.46 oz (410 g), so not as heavy as the Canon 16-35mm that weighs 1.4 lb (635 g). Enough with cosmetics. Lets look at what it can do.

It seems to focus fast. I used it in some pretty low light situations and it nailed the focus most of the time. What I wish I could have done was use this lens on my x-E2 or X-T1 at the same time, while shooting my Canon 16-35 mm on my 5D MKIII, but I just sold off my last 5D. (I am officially no longer shooting Canon.) The reason why I wanted to compare these side by side is when I put the 10-24 mm on the X-E2, I felt there was more distortion than the 16-35 mm on the 5D MKIII. It felt more like I was shooting through a fisheye lens than I remember the 16-35 mm feeling. That could have something to do with the 5D being full frame, or it might just be that I have not put a 15 mm or 16 mm lens to my eye in over to a year and I am just not used to it. Whatever the reason, it felt different. But it did what I wanted it to do, it allowed me to incorporate much more context into my photo than with a lens even as wide as the 14 mm. But be warned! A lens as wide as as 15 mm will always give you crazy distortion on the edges and not just the outer edges either, depending on how close you are to the subject. Below is a photo of my friend and associate in The On Field Media Project, Nathan Watkins, sitting next to Sargent Ragu of the Penang Police. Here the distortion is very prominent because they were so close to the camera. Of course the distortion is the worst at the edges. Look at Nate’s head. Before correction, his head looks like he is an alien and Sargent Ragu’s left hand in the lower right of the frame is monstrous. Also take note of the ugly shadow in the image below. That is NOT the shadow of the lens hood. That is the shadow of the actual lens! This lens is so big on the X-E2 that it actually renders the popup flash useless! The nifty add-on flash on the X-T1 doesn’t have this issue.

 

Mouse over this image to see the distortion before and after processing of of the image.

Beware of vertical lines. Look at this small Chinese temple near my house in the next shot. See how the vertical pillars are all bowed inwards. I would not consider this type of distortion a flaw, but a factor of an ultra-wide lens like this XF10-24mm f/4 R OIS.

matt_brandon_penang.03.27.14-02.24.33

So with this amount of distortion, how do you use this lens? To start with, unless you really want that distorted look, you try to back away from your subject. The next two photos below are portraits shot with the XF10-24mm fully zoomed out wide to 10 mm. But you can see that the subject isn’t overly distorted and the context is included. This is why I like to shoot with this type of lens. The first image is of, Albert Soo the roast duck and pork salesman at the Pulau Tikus market. The next photo is of Umairer Thangam and he is from Tamil Nadu, India and works here in Penang as a priest at the Ganesh Temple on Waterfall road.

matt_brandon_penang.03.27.14-19.56.23

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F/4 is the widest aperture on the XF10-24mm and it is constant at off focal lengths. It may not be as slow as a f/5.6, but it is slow. The only lens I can compare this with is the Canon 16-35 mm and it was a constant f/2.8. Shooting in dimly lit markets and temples like I often do, you find that f/4 is frustrating at times. I would have really been more excited about this lens had it been faster. Yes, it does have image stabilization built into it. That’s what “OIS” stands for at the end of the lens’ name. It is important to make it clear that image stabilization keeps the camera stable, not the subject. So it steadies your hand, if you will, but not the subject. In the image below, the flowers that are still, are nice and sharp, but Mr. Rajan is blurred because he shifted as I took the photo. OIS doesn’t give you more speed. On a side note, Mr. Rajan has been selling in the Pulau Tikus Market in Penang since 1957!

matt_brandon_penang.03.27.14-19.34.17

 

Overall, I am pleased with this lens. I am frustrated that I only had it for a few days and didn’t have a chance to try it out on a landscape or some other more traditional use of a lens of this type. The lens does fit into my style of shooting and I will be purchasing it as soon as more stock arrives here in Malaysia. It is really wide and deliverers the images you can expect from a 10/15mm lens. My biggest gripe is that it is rather slow. Even with OIS at f/4 this lens doesn’t allow the camera to shoot faster shutter speeds, and so more chance of motion blur is guaranteed. With that said, I would give this lens a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

 

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About The Author

Matt Brandon

Matt is a Malaysia based assignment photographer. Well known as a photographer and international workshop instructor, Matt’s images have been used by business and organizations around the globe. Matt is also a Fujifilm Malaysia brand ambassador. Matt is a contributor to National Geographic, National Geographic Traveller and other major publications.

9 Comments

  1. Daniel C.

    Hi Matt,

    thanks for your short review. I had the lens in my hand already, but decided to stick with the 2.8 14mm. Wide enough for me, much smaller and lighter and f2.8. The 10-24 is just too huge for my taste.

    BTW: Do you have any idea were in Penang I can get the 1.2 56mm. Nobody does have it on stock. I wanted to buy it before my trip to Bali tomorrow, but was not successful so far. A pitty.

    For the X-T1 I can really recommend the MHG-XT1 grip, not too huge, much better grip and compatible to my Sirui T-005 travel tripod. Just perfect.

    Thanks a have a nice, and actually very wet day,
    Daniel

    Reply
  2. Matt Brandon

    Daniel, The 56 mm is really hard to come by these days. I contacted Fujifilm Malaysia and they said that sock is shipping, but can’t say when. BTW have you tried the battery grip for the X-T1. I had it on loan as well and was less that excited.

    Reply
    • Daniel C.

      Matt, thanks for your answer. So far I had no chance to get my hands on the grip. But beside that it would tremendously increase the size of the camera it looks very square to me. I also don’t like the fact that I have to remove the grip to change both batteries. Therefore I straight ahead went for the MHG-XT1, which is bloody expensive but gives a very nice grip.

      Why you didn’t like the grip?

      BTW: Still love the X-Pro1 with the grip and the Thumbs-up in terms of handling.

      Daniel

      Reply
      • Matt Brandon

        Daniel, Because of the very reasons you just listed. It was a poor design to have to remove the grip to change the inside battery (one battery is in the grip and is easy to access with the grip in place). Plus the weight and size added by using it – not worth it. Frankly I am less sold on the over all design of the X-T1. At this point I prefer the easy of operation and feel of X-E2. I find the X-E2 much easy to use and with the Thumbs-up it is every better. But frankly after using either of these cameras there is no going back to the X-Pro1. Too slow!

        Reply
        • Daniel C.

          Haha, yes, the X-Pro1 speedwise feels like a dinosaur compared to these new fellows.

          Reply
  3. Daniel C.

    Hi Matt,

    luckily I got a call today from Hike Enterprise that they got the 1.2 56mm. Went their today after work and picked it up. Price: 2820 MYR. As I used my German Credit-card the price is very, very good.

    I saw one more in the shop.

    And yes, it is a very serious piece of glas.

    Daniel

    Reply
  4. Tripp F.

    3.5 out of 5 stars doesn’t sound that great! Is it pretty much just the f/4 or is it other things as well? I’m torn between the 14mm, a near perfect lens in most aspects, and the 10-24, which is more versatile but much bigger, slower, and likely not as good optically. Overall, what are your subjective feelings on 14mm vs. 10-24? Compared to my X100s my D800 has faster AF, better IQ, and more versatile (I can change lenses on the D800), but overall, I enjoy and like my X100s better (and will be selling my D800 once I get the XT-1). I’m curious if the 14mm vs. 10-24mm might be a similar comparison.

    Reply
    • Matt Brandon

      Frankly, it is a toss up in some way. I gave it a 3.5 for the very reasons you mention. The size, but especially the speed. The speed was the biggest issue. The 14 mm is a great lens. But I just wish it was a tad wider. But I hear rumors of another fast wide in the works.

      Reply

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  3. A few thoughts of the Fujifilm FX56 mm F/1.2 R | The Digital Trekker Blog & Photography - […] on two lenses that Fujifilm Malaysia lent me this past week. In the last review I looked at the…

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